Motor Rail
Motor Rail of Bedford, a locomotive-building company
1931 Motor Rail and Tramcar Co changed its name to Motor Rail Ltd
1951 Public flotation of shares in the company; maker of "Simplex" diesel locomotives and "Motor Rail" diesel dumpers[1]. Subsidiaries: Petrol Loco Hirers Ltd, and Diesel Loco Hirers Ltd but these were not trading[2]
1961 Manufacturers of Simplex diesel locomotives and Motor Rail diesel dumpers. 160 employees. [3]
c.1966 The Bedford firm making narrow gauge locomotives produced a brand new "mini loco". It proved a success.
1968 Acquired Low Loading Trailer Co[4]
1968 Won the Queen's Award for Export
1969 Made a trading loss but sold subsidiary Bedford Crane and Plant Hire and the premises of Low Trading Trailer in Bedford[5]
1971 Was a subsidiary of Loco Handling[6]
1972 Burnholme and Forder acquired a majority interest[7]
1972 The operating company was renamed Simplex Mechanical Handling, a subsidiary of Motor Rail which became the holding company[8]
1972 Motor Rail acquired British Tools and Pressings from Brayhead[9]
1976 The sale of Simplex Mechanical Handling and of John Street (Manufacturers) were agreed[10]
1976 The company was put into receivership together with its subsidiary Keland Ltd of Blaydon on Tyne; a new company Keland Electrics was established by the National Enterprise Board to acquire the manufacturing and certain other assets of Keland[11]
1987 Loco manufacture ceased, with the business being transferred to Alan Keef of Ross-on-Wye, who continued to provide spares and have built several locos to Motor Rail designs.